Land Carbon Budget and Sequestration Potential of the Natural Forests of Madhya Pradesh (India)

Abstract

The paper presents a carbon budget and future carbon-sequestration potential of the natural forests of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh (India). The forest type classification is based on open- (cover <40%) and dense-canopy forest (cover >40% and above). Trees contributed 95.72% and 93.09% biomass towards total biomass for dense- and open-canopy forests, respectively. Bole contributed 75.72% and 71% biomass for open and dense forests, respectively. Total bole biomass accumulation was 633.363 million tonnes, which was 68% of the total biomass accumulation in M. P. forests. NPP_total was 6.887 and 3.242 t ha^-1 yr^-1 for dense and open canopy forests, respectively. NEP of open canopy forests is 34% of dense canopy forests. Litter stocks (t ha^-l) were 1.562 for dense and 1.276 for open forests. Total carbon pool (million tonnes) in standing crop was 363.01 for dense- and 80.30 for open-forests. The contribution of litter- and soil-carbon was 9.425 and 167.83 million tonnes, respectively. Dense- and open-forests contributed 247.40 and 56.61 million tonnes bole carbon to the total carbon pool. The carbon flux as NPP total (t ha^-1 yr^-1) was 3.305 for dense- and 1.56 for open - forest with an average of 2.606. NPPtree carbon was 2.024 (dense), 0.625 (open) and 1.464 (average). NEP values for carbon accumulation rate (t ha^-1yr^-l ) were 0.531, 0.172 and 0.377 for dense, open and average of two, respectively. NPP_total carbon including fine root production was 4.336 t ha^-lyr^-1 while carbon release as heterotrophic respiration was 4.50 t ha^-1 yr^-l. It shows that present M.P. forests are the source of carbon. The average rate of carbon accumulation was 1.058xl0⁶ t yr^-1 during past 17 years till 1999. However, since 1988, the store of woody vegetation declined @ 0.365×10⁶ t yr^-1. Therefore, forests of M.P. were sink in 1980s shifted to source 1990s. Open canopy forests had great potential for sequestrating more carbon as they are still sequestrating only 30% and 47% carbon as total tree and total carbon of total potential.